How to cut down .223 brass.

MHouser

MHouser

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I need to convert a bunch of .223 brass to 7.62x25 for use in a Tokarev pistol.

Before running it through the sizing die I have been trying various methods of cutting it down (i.e. dremel with cut off blade, small pipe cutter, etc.). None of them work very well. Is there a tool out there or has someone designed something to make this task a little less tedious?
 
Have one. Tried that. I need to do like 400-500 of them. Ran out of patience after 3 or 4. There must be some type of power tool to do this.
 
Proxxon makes a small scale chop saw that uses slitting saw milling cutters for blades. Pricy, though.

Princess Auto sells a small abrasive cutoff saw for not too much. You could hack together something similar without too much trouble to use 1/16 cutoff disks on.
You could rig similar on a small table saw or radial arm saw.

How tidy do you want it to be?

Might be a good time to pick up one of the small bench top band saws at Ctire. Put a fine tooth blade on it, and build a wooden holding block that you could slide in the mitre gauge groove on the table of, and you'd be done pretty quick.

Ideal would be to have access to a small metal lathe that you could set up to do the cut off on.

Cheers
Trev
 
Get yourself a block of oil or air hardening tool steel.
Drill and ream a hole in it to fit the .223 case.
Figure out where the length of the case should be and saw cut a groove where you want to cut them off at.
You are building a cut off jig. Harden the steel and now you can place this in a vise and use a fine tooth hacksaw blade to cut them off.
 
A case trimmer driven by a drill could do the job. Most makes have an adapter to chuck the cutter shaft into a drill. You would certainly make a lot of brass shavings in the process.
 
Is there a tool out there or has someone designed something to make this task a little less tedious?
Click to expand...

Yes but it will cost you several thousand dollars. ;)

I use my lathe and it works GREAT! I built an adjustable stop that goes inside the bore. I grab the brass by the rear third of the case so as not to crush it and so it will sit straight in the chuck.

Then I use a very sharp carbide inside normally meant for cutting aluminum. It cuts through the brass case very efficiently.

The nice thing is this system can hold a very tight tolerance over many parts so I can actually cut to length in one step.
 
RCBS makes a .223 to 7.62x25 sizing die that you use in your press. Insert a full length .223 case in the press, push the case into the die ( it forms the new neck at the right length) and then use a fine tooth hack saw or cut off tool to cut the brass that is protruding from the die. You then have to ream the neck as you are in the thick walled section of the case. Presto you have a new 7.62x25 Tokarev case!

Only one problem, RCBS lists the die at $234.95, for that you can get a whole case of surplus from Marstar!

https://shop.rcbs.com/WebConnect/Ma...oductDisplay&screenlabel=index&productId=4979

Basher
 
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